You take a week off by claiming the week on your calendar first, then moving everything else out of its way. After that, you schedule your content ahead, hit every open project back to your partners and clients, and then you actually go. Those are the five steps I use, and I worked on them for over a month to get ready for a golf trip to Nebraska with my dad and two friends.
Can I really afford to take a week off?
If you’re saying, “I’m too busy to take a week off,” you need to clean out both ear holes and pay attention. Taking time off is not optional.
You’re going to take time off whether you like it or not. If you don’t plan it, you’re going to get sick, or you’re going to burn out, or both. So you might as well lean into rest as a part of a healthy business.
How do I find a week when my calendar is already full?
Step one is the biggest mental block, and that’s claiming the time. It sounds small, but it’s not. Open your calendar, look through the next couple of months, and claim a week for yourself.
If you say, “I have stuff every week from now till the end of the year,” well, of course you do. You’re building a thriving business. There’s never going to be a magical week with nothing in it.
Step two is you clean out the week you chose. When I picked my week, the stuff in the week had to move, not the other way around. You cancel the meetings, reschedule the coaching sessions, skip the networking events, and change the meetings with your team.
What do I tell people when I have to reschedule them?
Tell them the truth. “Hey, I’m taking a vacation this week. Let’s reschedule.” Just about everybody will be fine with it and ask when you should meet next.
It’s a really good filter, actually. If you tell someone you’re going golfing with your dad for a week and they don’t get it, they’re probably not someone you want in your life.
How does the business keep moving while I’m gone?
Step three matters most if you’re a solopreneur like me. I have to keep the story of the business told while I’m off, and that means content preparation. I write a week of LinkedIn posts, get my newsletters ready, and plan the show for the week I come back, then I get it all scheduled.
Just because the cheeks aren’t at the desk doesn’t mean the business is closed.
Step four is communicating with your stakeholders and project partners. Remember the one person in every group project who dragged it all down? I am terrified of being that person.
So I think of taking a vacation like playing tennis. I spend about a week volleying back over the net everything my partners, clients, and potential clients need from me. That lets me close my brain off, and it means they can do stuff while I’m gone. When I come back, the business has actually moved forward.
How do I actually unplug once I leave?
Step five is the biggest one of all. If you’re going to go on vacation, actually go. Don’t be that guy walking around Rome checking your Gmail.
When I go on vacation, it’s like I take my brain out and I put it on the charger. I’m not taking my laptop, and I’m taking Gmail and LinkedIn off my phone. I’m going cold turkey.
My wife Abby owns a photography studio, and she says, “There’s no such thing as a photography emergency.” There’s not an emergency in my community that Anne Hill, our director of ops, can’t handle. My coaching clients have my mobile number if something is really dire.
I’m not trying to be antisocial. When you really disconnect, you really recharge.
What should I do this week?
Here’s the homework. Open your calendar today and block one full week that’s reserved for you. Then reschedule whatever is sitting in that week.
Next, list every project where the ball is in your court, so you know what goes back over the net before you leave. Mark it, claim it, clean it out, and go. You’ll be a better entrepreneur, and your business will do better because of it.
This came from Businessing with Pat Miller. Watch the full June 11, 2026 episode.
More on this topic: Time and burnout answers from the Small Business Owners Community